Fit City Success: Kyle Casey loses 75 pounds after reading book

TYLER (KYTX) - Kyle Casey's struggle with weight didn't just start in his 40's. It's something he's battled for much of his life. He says the book-- "Alive" by Dr. Scott Stoll changed his life.

Kyle Casey, a PE teacher at Hogg Middle School, doesn't want to find himself in this place again.

"In January, I found myself weighing in the mid 250's." Sick from acid reflux and gout and taking medications to control his health issues. I want to be healthy I want to be around for my kids," says Kyle Casey.

So, when Kyle joined the fitness challenge, he immediately got to work cutting his calories and walking, but he still hadn't read the book, "Alive" yet.

And like many of us do, when we're looking for an answer, he googled, what do I do when my weight loss stalls?

"I started doing a little research, reading the book, reading some other things on my own and was able to take it to the next level," says Kyle. "I realized the types of food I was eating was hindering my weight loss, even though I wasn't eating a lot of calories. I started reading about the glycemic index and everything I was eating was on the high end of that scale."

That's when Kyle and his wife, Kristi, started adding vegetables to their diet, along with fruit and other super foods.

"I think my body learned to crave it, there was a process of breaking the addictions to salt and foods with fat and stuff, says Kyle.

The weight started falling off. Now he's added weight lifting to his workout after the book taught him-- every pound of muscle you put on will burn 25-50 calories.

"Oh, it's night and day. I can't even describe the difference. I have energy," says Kyle.

And the support of his wife. "He is amazing to me. I am super proud of him," says Kristi Casey.

The Caseys know they're setting a healthy example for their 4 kids and the hundreds of students he teaches each year.

The 75 pounds Kyle lost and all of his healthy changes also helped him get off all of his medications.